Costume
by flirtyalphonse
Summary: Zuko and Aang have set up an orphanage for children after the war. Zuko visits one and runs into a familiar young boy who still thinks his scar is on the wrong side!


**Costume  
By: Amphoterus**

Sometimes I wish I could bend time just to relive the past. Just go back for a day and relive those memories from not too long ago. Yes, there was a war going on. Yes, I was banished. Yes, I was struggling to get by day to day. Yet, even with the odds stacked against me, I experienced freedom and learned.

I was a teenager. I was reckless. I made mistakes but I learned from them. Now, as a young-adult, I'm expected to run a whole nation. My only problem back then was the Avatar but now my problem is fixing the damage the Fire Nation-what my father-has done to the rest of the world.

Aang was the first to propose a plan to help the orphaned children. _'We can't just leave them out on the streets!'_ he exclaimed. Together we set up an orphanage in the Fire Nation and few across the Earth Kingdom.

Between peace treaties, rebuilding towns, and repairing relations… I was overwhelmed. As the Fire Lord, I set my needs aside for my people. Aang wanted to visit the new orphanage (or boarding school, as he liked to call it) to see how the children were coping to the changes.

I chose to dress in casual Fire Nation attire rather than my royal robes today so I could feel just a little bit more comfortable. I hated to admit it but I was tired, cranky, and irritated. Is lack of sleep my punishment for everything I've done in the past? I inhaled a deep breath and forced myself to look at the man speaking to us, "If you would excuse me… I still have some paperwork to fill out."

Aang smiled and waved me goodbye. As I walked away, I heard him go back to talking enthusiastically about how animals would benefit the children, "Infact, I think all the children should have their own animal guide!"

"_All_ the children, A-avatar Aang?" The man asked him nervously.

"Well… yeah! Or maybe a mini-zoo! You know when I was in…"

The conversation tapered off as I walked out of the orphanage and into the courtyard to get some fresh air. There was a young boy sitting next to the fountain all by himself. I hesitated, wondering if I should approach him or not. I was always awkward around children. Well, Aang and Toph liked me but they weren't that young. This boy looked no older than seven or eight.

I snapped myself out of my own reverie. _'What am I thinking?'_ I reprimanded myself, _'This is my orphanage too!' _I approached the child and sat down in the grass a few feet away from him, "So… uh… how goes it?" I asked.

He didn't even look at me before mumbling something along the lines of, "Meh. It goes."

'_It… goes? What does that even mean?'_

An awkward silence enveloped us. I didn't know what to say so I looked at his back facing away from me. The boy was wearing a red tunic and trousers similar to mine. I couldn't just walk away now! The Fire Lord had duties to his people!

"So… um… do you like it here?" I asked.

This time, the boy turned around to face me, his face immediately turning from sad to happy. Where had I seen him before?

"Your Zuko costume is pretty awesome… but the scar is _still _on the wrong side!" He exclaimed while pointing to his own scar proudly. Technically, it wasn't a real scar. It looked like he had taken a pirate's eye-patch, cut a hole for his eye, and somehow colored it to look like my scar. I remembered him from one of the intermissions when we went to see the Ember Island Players. Except, at that time, he was wearing an Aang costume.

I felt heat rising to my cheeks unsure of whether it was from embarrassment, not being recognized as the Fire Lord, or that this kid, yet again, had the audacity to tell me that _my_ scar was on the wrong side! I suppressed the urge to tell him that _his_ scar was on the wrong side. Instead, I asked, "Why'd you change your costume?"

That simple question made him go off on a tangent as he exclaimed that Aang was no longer his favorite ("Not that I hate him!" he clarified) after watching the modified version of the play after the war ended. I didn't know whether to feel flattered or embarrassed. He finished by telling me Zuko was his new hero.

I felt my cheeks getting hot again. I decided to change the subject, "Why aren't you playing with the other kids?" From what I saw, the rest of the children were inside playing games, mingling, or eating snacks.

The boy's expression saddened as he looked back into his lap, "I wanted to wear my Zuko costume but they said the Fire Lord would find it disrespectful."

"Really." I said it as a statement, not a question. Many orphans from the Fire Nation were actually kids whose parents fought in the war. These parents held onto older beliefs and traditions regarding respect and honor. "I'm sure Zuko, er… the Fire Lord… would love your costume. You know, if he were here." I said sheepishly.

"Really?" his expression brightened and I gave a small smile. This boy had no one. He was looking for reassurance.

"Hey, Zuko!" It was that moment when Aang chose to waltz in. I turned around casting him a glare. Why did he have to go and interrupt and make things awkward all of a sudden?

"I mean, uh, Fire Lord Zuko. Heh," he laughed a bit nervously and scratched the back of his head. I turned back to the boy whose expression paled as he looked from me to Aang. _'I guess now he really knows who I am.'_

"They're about to cut the cake so I thought I'd come find you…" Aang recovered quickly and smiled, tilting his head to the boy, "I bet you want some cake too, don't you?"

I got up from where I was sitting and walked over to the boy, plucking the little make-shift scar from his face. "I think…" I knelt down beside him and positioned the scar on the correct side of his face, "the Fire Lord would like that, Avatar Aang."

Aang gave one of his goofy grins and walked back into the orphanage. I smiled at the young boy as he looked up at me again, "I really do like your costume." He smiled back.


End file.
